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Politics : Moderate Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dale Baker who wrote (8708)	3/19/2004 8:53:48 AM
From: rrufff	Respond to of 20773

We'll have to disagree with respect to the international arena. The polls I'm seeing show divisions and it all comes down to how the question is asked, the key ingredient whether in court, the political arena or in a poll. When the emphasis is on WMD and the incompetence of the intelligence, then the polls are as you suggest but not overwhelmingly negative for Bush. When the emphasis is on security and terror, the polls are more as I suggest. In any event, my point really is that this will not win it for Kerry. Merely being anti-Bush with respect to Iraq will result in a close defeat IMO. It seems that this is hard for him and for his supporters to comprehend that. There is a greater danger to freedoms by religious fanaticism here in the US. There is a huge undecided vote. There are huge numbers of people who don't register to vote. There are huge numbers of people who register and do not vote. To me it's common sense. If only a small percentage of these people were mobilized, every poll would be rendered useless because of the historical assumptions of voting patterns built into the process.

To: Dale Baker who wrote (8708)	3/20/2004 4:28:20 AM
From: Dale Baker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 20773

Ex-Watergate writer laments 'idiot culture' Former Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein told about 200 people in Tampa that today's media is more gossip and trash than news. By BRADY DENNIS, Times Staff Writer Published March 19, 2004 TAMPA - Legendary reporter Carl Bernstein riffed Thursday night about President Bush, the Martha Stewart trial, the war in Iraq and his affection for Florida. But mostly he talked about an epidemic that troubles him deeply these days. He calls it "the triumph of idiot culture." Speaking to a crowd of about 200 at the Wyndham Westshore, he placed most of the blame on modern media outlets. Bernstein, the former Washington Post journalist who, along with fellow reporter Bob Woodward, unearthed the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, said much of today's news has deteriorated into gossip, sensationalism and manufactured controversy. That type of news panders to the public and insults their intelligence, ignoring the context of real life, he said. Good journalism, Bernstein said, "should challenge people, not just mindlessly amuse them." He said the modern press lacks true leadership, citing such examples as AOL Time Warner and mogul Rupert Murdoch as media owners that have increasingly abandoned the principles of meaningful reporting. "Their interest in truth is secondary to their interest in huge profits," Bernstein said. Still, he said people can change that trend by exploring the Internet and piecing together from reputable sources their own news about important world matters. He offered another solution to avoiding the trash that fills the airwaves: "Change the damn channel. Simple." Bernstein also turned his attention Thursday to the coming election, calling President Bush "the most radical president of my lifetime and perhaps in the century." Bernstein said Bush "is radical in every degree," from a favoritism of the wealthy to a pre-emptive foreign policy to a lack of concern for civil rights. "He certainly seems more ideological than any of our presidents," Bernstein said. sptimes.com

To: Dale Baker who wrote (8708)	11/4/2004 8:56:46 AM
From: rrufff	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 20773

Hi Dale - Hope you are well and still travelling the world in peace. Haven't posted on the "moderate" thread for awhile as it became a place, in my opinion, of being largely something very different from "moderate." In any event, I was looking for some posts I made back near the beginning of the year. I had suggested to several that if it came down to Bush v anti-Bush, Bush would win by a small margin. Unfortunately, Kerry chose to go the anti-Bush route, never getting a positive message across. Other than fine print on websites that never reach the masses, there was very little positive and almost no specifics. Even the fanatical posting on SI reflects the hate Bush or hate Kerry message. Very little is produced with specific plans, whether it be Iraq, tax policies, health care, prison reform, war against drugs, medicare, social security, and just plain government incompetence. Moderates had a great opportunity against a very weak President and a Presidency with questionable legitimacy. However, moderates ceded the battle to vehement strident voices that were largely anti-American and anything but moderate. The Bush haters and critics lost the election by convincing the Kerry people that being anti-Bush was enough. Take care.